Is there any treatment, no matter what price, that will prevent hair loss during chemotherapy?

I have heard that there is some lotion that can be rubbed on to the hair during chemo to stop hair loss. Apparently it costs thousands of pounds. Does anyone have any idea what it is and where I can purchase it? Many thanks. Is there any treatment, no matter what price, that will prevent hair loss during chemotherapy?
Anne has given the most honest and simplest answer so far. If I may add though the example our sons' doctor gave us about chemo:



Your body is a garden the cancer are weeds. In order to eradicate the weeds, you need to ';kill off'; everything bad and good in the garden, and replenish the soil so that the roses can grow beautiful again.



We asked about preventing hair loss, and unfortunately there were NO methods to stop hair loss.

Patients react to treatments differently. Some lose no hair, some lose all and some, somewhere in the middle.

It may sound lame or mean, but, it's just hair. I know it may look or feel weird not to have it, but it does not define who you are. To me, it shows your strength!

Don't waste your money or time, use both to get well, that is the most important thing here.

Good luck.Is there any treatment, no matter what price, that will prevent hair loss during chemotherapy?
Several treatments have been investigated as possible ways to prevent hair loss, but none has been absolutely effective, including:

* Scalp hypothermia (cryotherapy). During your chemotherapy, ice packs or similar devices are placed on your head to slow blood flow to your scalp. This way, chemotherapy drugs are less likely to have an effect on your scalp. In general, scalp hypothermia works somewhat in 50 percent to 80 percent of people going through chemotherapy who try it. However, the procedure also causes a small risk of cancer recurring in your scalp, as this area doesn't receive the same dose of chemotherapy as the rest of your body. Most people who try this procedure find it to be uncomfortable and very cold.

* Minoxidil (Rogaine). Applying minoxidil a drug approved for pattern hair loss in men and women to your scalp before and during chemotherapy isn't likely to prevent your hair loss, although some research shows it may speed up your hair regrowth. In one small study, women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer applied minoxidil twice daily throughout their treatment and for four months afterward. Though their hair eventually all fell out, it took longer for the women who applied minoxidil to lose all their hair than it did for the women who didn't use it, and their hair started to grow back earlier.


Dear Friend, Let's get into the root cause and the scientific reasoning behind the hair loss during chemotherapy. If you get this point well, you may save yourself from rumour mongers, false claims, tall claims and pound stealers.

Chemotherapy prevents the cell division (mitosis). Cancer is a result of unregulated cell division which has lost the control mechanism to stop when done. Therefore a heap of cells results. Many of which are immature and disorderly too. The stimulus which induces these cells into this mode of unregulated cell division is poorly understood although several theories and models have been studied, tried and hypothesized. So much for the cause of cancer. If only we had known that process of beginning point of cancer better, the mankind would not have been struggling so hard as it is doing now, to control it or prevent it from switching or occurring.



The way out of this situation is to administer such poisons so called chemotherapeutic agents to snub or curb the very process of cell division. The chemotherapeutic agents are so non-specific poisons that they keep inhibiting not only the cancer cells but all other rapidly dividing cells. Some of the normal population of cells that have to divide rapidly get renewed regularly are a) Blood cells in the red marrow of the bone b) Hair root cells c) nail bed cells d) Lining cells of the digestive tract etc. The stable population of cells are less affected vis a vis the rapidly dividing cells. The stable population of cells are found in the Liver, Brain, Kidney etc. etc.

The other modes of destroying these undesirable population of cells is by surgical extirpation and also by way of intense radiation energy. None of these are good in any sense to human body. The treatment modalities are all far from ideal. But here the issue is that for want of better treatment modalities these have been adapted.



Chemotherapy is so toxic that it can not be given on end. But only in cycles and in limited number of such cycles. And once the cycles of chemotherapy have been terminated, the normal population do recover faster and repoplulate their series so quickly that all the ill effect is forgotten. Therefore the hair roots still thrive well and grow normal hair once chemotherapy is coming to a close. Now if you try to apply some balm on your head during this time, it will induce you into thinking that this balm or cream has done the wonder and that you have got your hair back. The person who had sold you this potion or medicine made a quick buck at the cost of your ignorance.

Therefore if you have any extra pounds please give me (I'm joking). Please do not part with your hard earned money for a song.

In fact an effectiveness of chemo will be evident with a good hair loss. If there is no sufficient hair loss I would be worried on the other hand that the chemo might not be working well.
I don't know about lotions to prevent hair loss, but I have heard that keeping your head really cold i.e. in wearing an ice pack on your head can stunt hair loss, when worn during the chemotherapy. I know how awful the thought of losing your hair is, but the treatment is far more important, and rather than spend money on lotions it may be worth investing in a couple of great wigs. Ask the dr about the cold packs, I know someone who it did work for, but you'd really need the doctors ok on that.

Good luck
if chemo can help combat cancer, it is a great step forward for the patient, hair growth should follow. Think about those who lose their battle with cancer. IMO, hair loss should not be the main cause of concern is patient is assured of leading good life free of cancer, OK i agree hair loss may be a blow physcologically but remember there is always hair wigs available anywhere and everywhere. One of my family member is fighting against cancer and believe me, it's tough for every one in the family
Sorry, I would bet it doesn't really work.



One of the reasons for hair loss is that the chemo damages cells that reproduce quickly and that includes hair follicles. I know that's a hard part of chemo side effects, but I don't think much can be done to prevent it.



My dad tried to have a sense of humor when he lost his and we just invested in a bunch of knit caps (his head was really cold).
I've not heard of that. Not everyone loses all their hair, some lose very little. Of course it's a horrible thing to go through, I'm sure lots of people would be prepared to pay good money if it meant keeping their hair. I think most people resort to hats, scarfs and sometimes wigs. If it's for you, good luck.
Sometimes you can reduce hair loss by chilling the scalp during chemo. This slows blood flow and hence the uptake of the chemo drugs into the hair follicles.
Not all chemo causes hair loss - talk to your oncologist.
I've never heard of such a preparation, and honestly can't see how it could possibly work. If someone's selling such a thing for thousands of pounds, my guess is it's just another example of someone trying to make money at the expense of vulnerable people.



Not all chemotherapy regimes cause hair loss; some cause thinning of the hair, some cause no hair loss. Most cause hair loss though, and there's not a lot you can do about it.



Other people have mentioned the 'cold cap'; A cold cap is an option, but not a very satisfactory one.



I decided against using one, and was glad I had when I saw a woman crying with the pain and discomfort of the cold cap she was wearing.



Using a cold cap adds a great deal of time to your chemo session - you have to wear it for a while both before and after receiving chemo. And, as I've said, it's uncomfortable and even painful.



Which might all be worth it if it kept your lovely head of hair the same as it was, but it usually doesn't. Most people I've known who've used it have lost some of their hair - up to half in some cases. And hair that remained was usually in such poor condition that they cut their hair really short anyway.



Most people who've been through chemo will know about association sickness, where you get nauseous from foods, smells etc you associate with chemo and which you can continue to get months and even years after chemo; I know people who've used the cold cap who've had association sickness and headaches standing in front of an open freezer or giving kids ice lollies. One woman even said she got nauseous when she saw a cyclist wearing a helmet (the cold cap looks like a cyclist's helmet).



I also know people who used them for their first chemo session but couldn't face them again for subsequent sessions.



All in all, not worth it in my opinion.





There's also some concern about cold caps shutting down blood flow to the scalp, which is what they do. If you had a cancer cells in the scalp area, they could be protected from the from the effects of the chemotherapy. Because of this, some oncologists don't encourage cold caps, and I understand they're not widely used in the US for this reason.



Remember, you're having chemo to try and get rid of your cancer; hair loss is an upsetting thought, but like many people I didn't find it so upsetting once it was actually happening. It soon grows back, often starting before the course of chemotherapy finishes - for me it feels as if it all happened to someone else, and I have long hair again now